23rd International Symposium on Transport Phenomena

Auckland, New Zealand

1922 November 2012

High Heat Flux Cooling Technology for Power Electronics

(Subcooled boiling of water mixture of antifreeze coolants)

K. Suzuki1, K. Yuki1, G. Chen1 and C. Hong2

1
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Tokyo University of Science-Yamaguchi, Sanyo-onoda, Yamaguchi, 756-0884 Japan
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Chiba, 278-8510 Japan

Abstract
Microbubble emission boiling occurs in highly subcooled boiling
in the beginning of transition boiling and the heat flux increases
higher than the critical heat flux. The boiling regime has been
usable for high heat flux cooling technology in power electronics.
The maximum heat flux obtained is higher than 5MW/m2
(500W/cm2) for water under atmospheric condition. Subcooled
pool boiling of water mixture of ethylene-glycol with 50vol%
(52mass%) and 30vol% (32mass %) is investigated under
atmospheric condition for practical use of IC inverter of an
electric vehicle. The maximum heat flux is around 3.4MW/m2
(340W/cm2).for 50vol% at liquid subcooling of 40K and super
heat of heating surface of 95K for an example. The maximum
heat fluxes of the mixture are considerably lower than those of
water and the boiling curves shift to higher temperature of
heating surface. However, those data are useful for the cooling
technology in future power electronics.
[1]. The boiling regime was reported by Inada [2]-[5] in 1981.
The boiling has been called microbubble emission boiling, MEB,
and the maximum heat flux was higher than 10MW/m2
(1kW/cm2) in subcooled flow boiling of water conducted in the
horizontal rectangular channel with small heating surface of
10mm 10mm or less placed on the bottom of channel [1][6].
Figure 2 shows an example of subcooled flow boiling of water
with MEB which is generated in a horizontal rectangular channel.
Microbubble emission boiling is strongly affected by liquid
subcooling , Tsub, as shown in figure 2 [1].
The author proposed a model of high heat flux cooling device
using subcooled boiling with MEB for power electronics [7].

Introduction
Since the beginning of this century, we have serious problems on
the energy resources, natural environment and global warming.
Especially, the reduction of carbon-dioxide is one of the ungent
problems. For this purpose, development of a hybrid vehicle
(HV) and an electric vehicle (EV) has been accelerated in
industrially advanced countries. An IC packaged inverter is
assembled in the power control system. The maximum thermal
emission issued from the electronic inverter has been predicted at
higher than 3MW/m2 (300W/cm2). It is impossible to remove
the high heat flux from the inverter by the conventional cooling
technology that is air cooling or liquid cooling. Figure 1 Boiling curve including MEB
Boiling heat transfer has been well known as a highly efficient
heat transfer technology to transport large amount of heat from a
hot body by latent heat. However, there are difficult problems
to use the boiling heat transfer for the cooling technology in
power electronics. Generally, boiling heat transfer has three
regimes. They are nucleate boiling, transition boiling and film
boiling as shown in figure 1. Nucleate boiling is suitable for the
cooling technology and the critical heat flux, CHF, is the
maximum of nucleate boiling heat transfer. In higher heat flux
region of nucleate boiling, the heating surface is covered with
large coalescing bubbles and liquid-solid contact is disturbed at
CHF. The heating surface begins to dry and the boiling turns to
film boiling through transition boiling with rapid rising of the
surface temperature if the heating surface is continuously heated,
then the surface meets burn-out that is the final stage of boiling
heat transfer. Electronic components have a fatal damage due to Mass flow rate=500kg/m2s (u=0.5m/s)
the high temperature. Channel size;17mmH12mmW150mmL,
In highly subcooled boiling, at higher than 20K under Heating surface; 10mm10mm, Copper
atmospheric condition, the heat flux increases higher than CHF
with microbubble emission in the beginning of transition boiling Figure 2 Effect of liquid subcooling on boiling efficiency [1]
In practice of electric vehicle operation, boiling liquid must be
not frozen under severe cold condition. The present paper
introduces subcooled boiling of the mixture of water and
ethylene-glycol that is widely used in base fluid of anti-freeze
coolants.
Model of high heat flux cooling device [7][8]
For long heating surface with single cooling channel used in EV
inverter, it is difficult to remove heat from the down stream
section of the heating surface because the cooling fluid is heated
as it flows. The CHF and the maximum heat flux decrease with
the length of heating surface as shown in figure 3 [9]. The
authors proposed a model of cooling device with dual channel
and multi-needle nozzle for an inverter used in electric vehicle as
sown in figure 4. The cooling efficiency is shown in figure 5.
The cooling fluid in the subchannel flows counter to the main
channel flow. In high heat flux region, the upstream section of
the hot surface is cooled by the main channel fluid and the down-
stream section is cooled by subcooled jets through the multi-
needle nozzle. The maximum heat fluxes are about 5MW/m2
(500W/cm2) for water in figure 5.
Figure 3 CHF and max. heat flux with length of heating
surface in subcooled flow boiling of water in horizontal
rectangular channel [9]
Figure 4 Model of high heat flux cooling device for power
electronics of EV [7][8]
Figure 5 Efficiency of model high heat flux cooling
device [7]
Experimental setup
Subcooled quasi-pool boiling was carried out for the mixture of
water and ethylene-glycol under atmospheric condition. The
mixtures are 50vol% (52mass%) and 30vol% (32mass%) of
ethylene-glycol, respectively. The saturation temperatures are
108C and 104 C. The experimental setup is shown figure 6.
The boiling vessel is made of stainless steel and transparent glass
windows are fitted for observation. The test liquid is
maintained predetermined temperature within 3K by a heater, a
cooling tube and a stirrer. The stirrer gives weak circulation of
liquid, so the experiment is performed as quasi-pool boiling.
Schematic view of heating block is shown in figure 7. It is
made of copper and consists of straight part of 12mm in diameter
and trapezoidal base. Top of the block is a heating surface of
10mm in diameter and fixed tightly on the bottom of the boiling
vessel by a stainless steel plate of 1mm in thickness with central
hole of 10mm in diameter. The thermal conductivity of
stainless steel is 16kJ/mK and very small, less than 4-5%,
compared with copper. The heat loss from the contact surface
of stainless plate and copper block is estimated less than 2% of
axial heat flow of cooper block.
Five cartridge heaters are inserted in the trapezoidal base of
heating block. The maximum power of the heater is 750W.
Three K-type thermocouples of 0.5mm in diameter are fitted on
the axis of straight part with 3mm, 6mm and 9mm apart from the
heating surface. The surface temperature is estimated by
extrapolating steady state temperature distribution and the heat
flux is calculated by the temperature gradient.
The heating block is covered with thermal insulations. The heat
loss issued from the side surface of straight part is estimated less
than 5% of the axial heat flow.
The heating surface is polished with sand-paper of #500 prior to
experiment.
The boiling is observed by high speed video camera with 150
frames per second. The tests were conducted at liquid
subcooling of 20K, 40K, and 60K for the mixture of 50vol% of
ethylene-glycol and 40K and 60K for the mixture of 30vol%.
Figure 6 Experimental setup for pool boiling of mixture of
water and ethylen-glycol
Figure 7 Schematics of heating block (Cu)
Results and Discussion
Experimental results of subcooled quasi-pool boiling of water
and mixture of ethylene-glycol are shown in figure 8. The
mixtures are 50vol% (52mass%) and 30vol% (32mass%) . The
saturation temperatures are 108C for 50vol% and 104 C for
30vol% of ethylene-glycol concentration. Microbubble
emission boiling is observed in transition boiling in figure 8.
An example of microbubble emissions is shown in figure 9 in
MEB of mixtures of 50vol% ethylene-glycol at liquid subcooling
of 40K. This is typical bubble behaviour in MEB.
The boiling curve shifts to higher superheat of heating surface
with increasing ethylene-glycol concentration at same liquid
subcooling. In subcooled quasi-pool boiling of ethanol and
water mixture at liquid subcooling of 20K, CHF and maximum
heat flux obtained in MEB decrease with ethanol concentration in
figure 10 [10]. CHFs and heat fluxes of MEB at liquid
subcooling of 40K are added into the CHF-Ethanol diagram
shown in figure 10. CHF and heat flux of MEB decrease with
increasing concentration of ethylene-glycol as the case of mixture
of ethanol and water.
Heat transfer coefficient of subcooled boiling of the mixture is
shown in figure 11. Heat transfer becomes poor in the high heat
flux region. Especially it decreases in MEB region.
MEB
CHF
MEB
Figure 8 Boiling curves of subcooled quasi-pool boiling of
water mixture of ethylene-glycol under atmospheric condition
Heating surface
Figure 9 Typical example of MEB
Ethylene-glycol ; 50vol%, Tsub = 40K, Frame rate : 150F/s
According to the experimental investigation on subcooled boiling
of water mixture of ethylene-glycol, microbubble emission
boiling occurs in transition boiling, however it occurs at higher
surface temperature region and the heat fluxes are considerably
lower than that water. So the heat transfer coefficient decreases
in larger heat flux region. The maximum heat flux is about 5.7
MW/m2 (570W/cm2) at surface temperature of 196C for 30vol%
of ethylene-glycol at liquid subcooling of 40K and 3.4MW/m2
(340W/cm2) at surface temperature of 203C for 50vol% at liquid
subcooling of 40K. The heat transfer coefficient is
61,000W/m2K for 30vol% and 36,000W/m2K for 50vol%.
Power IC of SiC packages will be assembled in an inverter of
future electric vehicle in practice. Temperature operation
limitation of SiC is said to be 400 - 450C. The actual
maximum operation temperature of inverter is considered about
200 C. In many cases, water mixture of 50vol% of anti-freezer
is used for a cooling fluid of motor vehicle and it is effective
above -45 ~ -49C. The experimental data are available the
condition but it is expected to extend margin for practical use.
Ethylene-glycol; MEB
10 106
Ethylene-glycol; CHF
Water Tsub=40K, CHF, MEB
Ethylene-glycol 30vol% Tsub=40K, CHF, MEB
Ethylene-glycol 50vol% Tsub=40K, CHF, MEB
Figure 10 CHF and heat flux in MEB of mixtures with
ethylene-glycol concentration
MEB
MEB
Figure 11 Heat transfer coefficient of subcooled quasi-
pool boiling of water mixture of ethylene-glycol
The pool boiling data is the minimum performance for the [7] Suzuki, K., Kawamura, H., Tamura, S., and Maki, H.,
inverter cooling. For the cooling system of EV inverter, flow Subcooled Flow Boiling with Microbubble Emission;
boiling system with radiator or condenser is assembled in
Development for High Heat Flux Cooling Technology in
practice and the maximum cooling heat flux is expectedly
increased higher. For hybrid vehicle, it is convenient to use the Power Electronics, Proc. 13th International Heat Transfer
engine cooling system for the inverter cooling system in electric Conference,2006, CD-ROM BOI-28..
power operation. [8] Japanese Patent, No.4766427, No.4766428, 2011.
[9] Suzuki K., Microbubble Emission Boiling for Compact Heat
Conclusions Exchangers, Proc. 7th International Conference on Enhanced,
Compact and Ultra-compact Heat Exchangers ;Science and
Subcooled quasi-pool boiling of water mixture of ethylene-glycol Technology, 2009,CD-ROM CHE2009-31.
has been investigated under atmospheric condition for the [10] Suzuki K., Yuki K., Hong C. and Ueno I, Acceleration of
cooling technology used in electric vehicle. The mixtures are Microbubble Emission Boiling by Ultrasonic Vibration in
50vol% and 30vol% of ethylene-glycol. Test liquid subcoolings Subcooled Boiling of Water and Ethanol Mixtures
are 20K, 40K and 60K. (Fundamentals on cooling technology for power electronics),
Microbubble emission boiling occurs remarkably in transition Proc. ISTP-21, 2010, CD-ROM ISTP21-IS01-07.
boiling at liquid subcooling of 40K and 60K. However, the
boiling efficiency is considerably low compared with pure water.
Boiling curve of the mixture shifts toward higher superheat with
concentration of ethylene-glycol. Heat fluxes obtained in MEB
are considerably smaller than water and heat transfer coefficient
decreases in MEB region. For the mixture of 50vol% of
ethylene-glycol, CHF is 2.8MW/m2 (280W/cm2) at superheat of
heating surface of 51K (surface temperature of 159 C) and liquid
subcooling of 40K and the maximum heat flux is 3.4MW/m2
(340W/cm2) at superheat of 95K (surface temperature of 203C).
The heat transfer coefficient is 36,000W/m2K. Actually, the
cooling of inverter is performed mainly by nucleate boiling
region. The strong point of MEB is to remove CHF class heat
flux from hot surface without dry out. Accordingly, those data
are considered effective for high heat flux cooling technology in
power electronics of EV use.

References

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